Osborne Perry Anderson

Early life

In 1830 Anderson was born a free African American in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He completed basic schooling and later attended Oberlin College in Ohio, after which he moved to Chatham in Canada West (now Ontario) in 1850 and opened shop as a printer. This skill served him later as an abolitionist.

John Brown and the raid on Harpers Ferry

In May 1858 Anderson met John Brown and learned of the revolution that he was planning at a meeting in Chatham. Because of his writing skills Anderson was appointed as the recording secretary at several of the meetings and was eventually promoted to a member of Brown’s provisional congress.

During the raid, Col. Lewis Washington, great grand-nephew of George Washington, who had been taken hostage by the raiders, surrendered Frederick the Great's sword and pistols presented by General Lafayette, to Anderson. John Brown later used these to command his men at Harpers Ferry.

During the raid on Harpers Ferry Anderson was stationed with Albert Hazlett, and once it became apparent to them that the raid was a failure they both retreated to Pennsylvania. Hazlett was later captured and hanged.

A Voice From Harper's Ferry and later life

After the failed raid, Anderson went on to write an account of the events, which he named A Voice From Harper’s Ferry. The book describes the conditions that were present at the Harpers Ferry raid, including the training, the supplies that were available, and the events that led up to and followed the raid.

Though Anderson did not name the friends who aided his escape in his account, later analysis concluded that William C. Goodridge, a conductor on the Underground Railroad, hid him in York, Pennsylvania, then sent him by rail to Philadelphia. Anderson proceeded from there to Canada.

Upon the start of the Civil War Anderson became a noncommissioned officer of the Union Army. He died in Washington D.C. in 1872. He was interred at Columbian Harmony Cemetery.